Personal Qualities

What personal qualities are important if you are going to sustain a small business or a freelance career? What implications does the way you work have for the other areas of your life i.e. family/ friends/ free time etc.

Having identified a role, you need to consider whether you can achieve it as a freelance. Before starting a business or launching yourself into a freelance career it would be wise to consider the pros and cons of such a career choice and to examine carefully whether you are the right kind of person, with the necessary skills and personal qualities. Jobs and contracts vary widely and it is important to understand the implications of each for your life in general. Most jobs, especially in production, demand long and frequently unsociable hours, do not provide a regular income and require stamina, fitness and an understanding family, friends and partner. It is estimated that 60% of people working in film and TV production are freelance and of these, about a quarter are highly sought after and have too much work. But the majority of people simply get by and will not always be in employment, a significant proportion will hardly get any work at all. Could you cope with this?

To improve your chances of sustaining a career as a freelance you will need to demonstrate a range of skills, competencies and personal qualities. It is a very competitive industry, and freelance work demands that you process a number of key skills as will as the personal qualities that will see you though the insecurity the demands and the erratic nature of the work. You need to be able to make a contribution from day one, and present evidence of what you do well. You will need confidence and optimism. You will need to be able to manage the business side, to go out and get your own work and manage your time and your diary effectively. You may need to travel or move around for work and may be away for weeks or months at a time. You will need to consider your overall objectives and other commitments.

Interview Material

Our Media Professionals discuss the way that working as a freelance impacts on other areas of your life, including finance, security, holidays, working hours, and family and friends.

	2.1 Victoria Noble Discusses finance and security; the advantages and disadvantages of being freelance.
	2.2 Kate Broome Discusses finance and security; the advantages and disadvantages of being freelance.
	2.3 Christine Molloy Discusses managing her time as a freelance
	2.4 Mike Fox On the implications of the way he works on other areas of his life.

As we have seen many careers in the media will require you to work as a freelance. You may be extremely talented at your trade. i.e. the skills and talents you have that allow you to do a good job. However even the most talented and creative people will not succeed at the business of being freelance unless they have an understanding of the skills required for working in that way.

	Task 2 - Have you got what it takes?
Task 2 is designed to help you evaluate and audit your capabilities and allow you to identify the areas where you will need to seek further advice or training. Download and print out the Task 2 worksheet.

Now you need to develop a career plan and a strategy for managing your career. In the next section you can learn from the experience of media professionals who have succeeded in building a career or company. Take note and start to develop ideas of a path or a route that will form a part of your business proposal. For example, seeking opportunities, taking risks, showing what you can do, building a track record.